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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27030736">A Moment's Delay</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keyseeker/pseuds/Keyseeker'>Keyseeker</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Identity Reveal, Spoilers for the NYC Special</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 17:29:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,275</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27030736</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keyseeker/pseuds/Keyseeker</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Chat Noir renounces his ring, taking off into the New York City streets.</p><p>In this world Marinette doesn't look away in time.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>278</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Moment's Delay</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please forgive me, my friend.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wha- NOOOO!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I renounce you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What- what did Chat just say?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He- he couldn’t-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“WHAT!” she gasped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That- that was- he couldn’t mean-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From the other side of the barrier a bare hand reached out, gently setting down a familiar black ring.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I never want to risk harming anyone ever again. Least of all you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>NO NO NO NO NO</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“WAIT!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She reached out a hand instinctually, as if by doing so she could stop him from running off, from leaving.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Footsteps hammered past her, their owner breathing heavily, seeming to fight down tears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In her shock, it took her a moment to realize what Chat was doing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shot past her, untransformed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>SHE KNEW THAT BACK.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>SHE KNEW THAT HAIR.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Chat Noir… Adrien…”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Numbly she trudged through the New York streets, staring at Chat’s ring… at Adrien’s ring.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Plagg and Tikki cuddled up in her purse. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Faintly she could hear them say things, but… they all seemed lost in a fog. The sounds reached her, but she couldn’t process them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not like they mattered anyway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her partner was gone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even from the very beginning, if she could have faith in one thing, it was him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Every time she hesitated, she floundered, she worried about not being good enough, about failing, he was there to encourage her, to boost her up, to let her know that she WAS good enough, that both of them were. That she wasn’t alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You and me against the WORLD, milady!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d said it with such confidence back then, no doubt in his voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Heh. That was in a sewer too. Go figure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were a duo, an unbreakable team. Anything the world threw at them, they could take.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even… even when Miracle Queen was attacked, even when almost all their allies were outed, the Miracle Box lost, Fu being attacked, even when she thought all was lost, he just gave her a hug and reassured her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When she struggled, thinking all hope was lost, he helped show her that something was left. That maybe they couldn’t fix everything, but it didn’t mean things were hopeless either.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But now he was gone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She may have been angry at him before - may have felt hurt that he hadn’t told her he was leaving, had thought it better to hide that info, and the consequences that had arisen from not being able to plan around his absence - but she’d NEVER want to fight without him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She wasn’t even sure that she could.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sure, sometimes he’d be incapacitated for a fight, but - she always knew she’d get him back at the end. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Without him? Permanently?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She could recruit other allies. Other fighters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But none of them would be Chat Noir.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d- she’d told him she didn’t trust him anymore.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the time, she meant it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But it wasn’t true.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d trusted him to follow her lead when running from Majestia and Knightowl.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>To fight the sentimonster when they got back to Paris.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>To see her tears, to see her pain and anxiety and just… breaking down when finding out that the sentimonster was gone. That she couldn’t repair anything anymore.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>To be there with her even during her lowest moments, most hopeless moments, as he had been every other time she felt like the world was crumbling around her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was her rock. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But her rock had blown away in the current.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was gone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Putting one step in front of the other, she made it to the hotel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Someone came walking from the other direction. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lifting her head a little, she took a look at this newcomer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien looked up at her, looking as bedraggled and miserable as she felt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wait… ADRIEN?!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dimly some part of her went </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, of course Chat’s here. He can’t just fly back to Paris without being transformed, and he’s staying at the same hotel I am. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That part was summarily drowned out by the rest of her screaming </span>
  <em>
    <span>HE’S HERE MY PARTNER’S HERE HE DIDN’T LEAVE I HAVEN’T LOST HIM HE’S RIGHT HERE IN FRONT OF ME.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She wanted to hug him, or yell at him, or maybe just cry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But she just… froze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Distantly she became aware of a car driving up, the door opening.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A familiar, unwelcome voice cut through her shock. “Adrien, get in the car at once, I should never have listened to your friend, this city is far too dangerous.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Friend…?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Listened to a friend about OH MY GOSH.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So THAT’S why Chat said it was a last minute decision! He’d mentioned during the party that he hadn’t known he was leaving until a few hours before the plane took off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>SHE’D BEEN THE REASON CHAT WAS IN NEW YORK.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have to go, I’m sorry Mari- Marinette, are you okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was laughing and crying. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Huh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Adrien, come here now!” Gabriel ordered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hesitated, made a slight motion towards the car-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>NOPE</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She launched herself at him, tackling him to the cold, wet sidewalk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She didn’t care.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Just so long as he was here with her.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is the meaning of this?!” Gabriel bellowed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She ignored him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can’t lea-ve,” she barely got out, her voice cracking. “Not- not again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not again?” Chat asked, his voice laced with confusion. “But… when did I…?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I- I need you.” Surreptitiously she retrieved the ring from her purse, being careful to keep it hidden from view, and slipped it onto his finger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sucked in a breath, feeling the weight of the metal band.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t do this without you,” she murmured as he glanced at his newly adorned finger, “I don’t WANT to do this without you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His eyes widened. For a moment she could practically see him processing what she meant, what her having the ring meant.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A heartbeat passed. Maybe two.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His face screwed up -</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And together they cried, hugging each other on the ground.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Adrien, you must return NOW! Adrien? ADRIEN!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He paid Gabriel as little mind as she had.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m- I’m sorry,” he choked out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She just hugged him tighter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A pointed cough came from behind her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lifting her head, she saw Alya giving her a smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And was suddenly aware that </span>
  <em>
    <span>maybe</span>
  </em>
  <span> this wasn’t the best place to have this conversation, especially as sopping wet and dirty as they both now were.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How about we head inside?” she asked him hastily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d follow you anywhere, M- Marinette,” he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The quick correction did not escape her notice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This wasn’t what she wanted, both of them knowing each other’s identities. It made Hawkmoth getting ahold of one of them far more hazardous than it was already, and that was bad enough with Chat Blanc-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She sucked in a breath. No WONDER she’d started dating Chat Noir after Adrien had (presumably) figured out her secret identity.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And the other time he’d been without his Miraculous, it was the same reason SHE didn’t have hers on her! Because of the photo shoot!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dozens of moments flitted through her mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chat being statueified by Style Queen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien carrying her, protecting her when she’d lost her powers due to Sandboy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her making out with Ad-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>OH GOD SHE’D MADE OUT WITH ADRIEN.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>TWICE.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Marinette?” Adrien asked, looking at her concernedly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“FINE. I’M FINE. EVERYTHING IS TOTALLY FINE.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She could unpack all of that later.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Preferably after she’d returned home.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And gotten to collapse onto her bed and scream into her pillow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taking a deep breath, she took Adrien by the hand. “Come on. Let’s get changed.”</span>
  <em>
    <span> As in, transform.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Untangling her love life could wait.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For now, she was just glad to have her partner back.</span>
</p>
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